Car-coupling



(No Model.) A

P. H IEN. GAR GOUPLING.` No. 555,950. Patented Mar. 10, 1896.

llnirnn STATES PATENT Gistron.

PIIILLIP IIIEN, or` onIoAeo, ILLINOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,950, dated March10, 17896.

Application iiled November '7, 1895. Serial No. 568,245. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, PHILLIP I-IIEN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful ImproveA ments in Car-Couplings, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements incar-couplings, and particularly to devices for locking and unlocking thecoupling.

The object of the invention is to provide a coupling` combining strengthwith simplicity of construction which can be unlocked and left in anunlocked condition, the part-s remaining, however, substantially in thesame position as when the coupling is locked until the cars carrying thecoupling are separated.

Vith these and other ends in view the invention contemplates an ordinaryknuckle provided with a suitable tailpiece, a lockingpiece pivotallyarranged in rear of the tail-` piece and adapted to be operated thereby,a handle for raising said locking-piece, and a dog arranged to engagethe locking-piece to hold it in an elevated position, all being combinedand arranged substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows a horizontal sectional viewof the head of a coupling embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view of a coupling, showing the same unlocked and ready to beuncoupled. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line y y of Fig. l, showingthe coupling locked in coupled position. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectionalview on the line oc fr of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view ofthe locking-piece, and Fig. 6 is a front View of the coupling-headwithout other parts.

Similar letters of reference designate the saine parts in the severaliigures of the draw- InOs.

is an ordinary pivoted knuckle common to this style of coupling, and itis provided with a suitable tailpiece A,which is arranged to operate ina chamber a formed in the coupling-head a'. A locking-piece B ispivotally secured within said chamber at one side thereof and partiallyin the path of the tailpiece. This locking-piece is supported on apivot-pin b, and one portion of the lockingpiece is recessed to formcam-surfaces C, for a purpose hereinafter described. In the upper sideof the locking-piece is a channel D, opening through the side in anarrow slot d, and at one end d it is wider to permit of the insertionof the handle. The handle E eX- tends down through an opening e in thetop of the coupling-head, and it is provided with right-angledprojections c' at its lower end which can be easily arranged in thechannel D by first inserting it in the wider end d thereof. In thisposition the projections e prevent the handle from becoming displaced,and loosely connect it with the locking-piece, so that the latter may beeasily operated.` A dog F is cccentrically pivoted in rear of thelocking-piece, and it is provided with a forwardly-projecting upper endhaving a rounded cam-surface g adapted to engage the under side of thelocking-piece and maintain it in an elevated position at certain times..The lower portion of this dog is provided with a shoulder f adapted toengage a lug G and prevent the dog from falling too far forward, and italso has a shoulder f to prevent it falling too far backward.

The several parts of the coupling are properly assembled and theoperation is as follows: Vhen the knuckle of the coupling is thrownopen, the locking-piece will rest in the position shown in full lines inFig. 4C. As the knuckle is closed, the tailpiece will swing in the areof a circle and the end thereof will bear against the recessed portionof the `locklug-piece, the cam-surfaces of which are so formed that thetailpiece will push the locking-piece up and out of its path ofmovement. The tailpiece does not, however, rise so high in thisoperation that the dog will engage the lower side thereof, as the upperend of the dog is in a higher plane than the upper surface of thetailpiece. The tailpiece continues in its movement until it passes thelockingpiece, which immediately falls back into position, as shown inFig. l, and locks the coupling.

To unlock the coupling, the locking-piece is raised by means of thehandle until the dog falls by gravity into position beneath it,whereupon the locking-piece will be sup- IOS) ported by the dog clear ofthe tailpiece, as shown in Fig. 2. The parts Will remain in thisposition until the cars are separated, and at that time the tailpieceswinging outward Will push the dog out of engagement With thelocking-piece, so that the latter will fall into its customary position.

In order that the locking devices may be protect-ed as far as possiblefrom the operation of a li nk,which may be employed to couple the carsthrough the medium of a pin inserted in the hole Hin the knuckle, Iprovide a projection h on the tailpiece and a front plate h on thecoupling-head, having an opening h" to receive the tailpiece. By thisconstruction the opening in the front of the coupling-head is just Wideenough for the movement of the tailpiece When the knuckle is secured inplace, and the locking devices are thereby protected.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and detailsof construction of the invention may be made Without departing from thespirit or sacriiicing the advantages thereof, and I therefore reservethe right to make all such changes as fairly fall Within the scope andspirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is*

l. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivotally supported therein and provided with a tailpiece, alocking-piece pivoted in the coupling-head in the path of the tailpiece,and a dog arranged behind said locking-piece and adapted to operate bygravity when the locking-piece is raised to engage the lower edge of thelocking-piece and hold it in an elevated position, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a carecoupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivotally supported therein and provided With a tailpiece, alocking-piece arranged in the path of the tailpiece and having a channelin the upper part thereof and a slot opening through the top of thecoupling-head and a handle provided with side projections adapted to bearranged loosely in the channel, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivoted therein and provided With a tailpiece, a lockingepiece arrangedin the path of the tailpiece, and a pivoted dog located behind thetailpiece and adapted to fall by gravity into position to support thelocking-piece out of the path of the tailpiece, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivoted therein and provided with a tailpiece, a locking-piece havingcam-surfaces arranged in the path of the tailpiece, a handle looselyconnected to the locking-piece, and a dog arranged in rear of thelocking-piece and adapted to maintain the latter in an elevated positionwhen raised by the handle, substantially as described.

5. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivoted therein and provided with a tailpiece, a locking-piece arrangedin the path of the tailpiece, a dog pivotally mounted in rear of thelocking-piece, and having the shoulders f, f', adapted to engage theprojection G, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivoted therein and provided with a tailpiece, a locking-piece arrangedin the path of the tailpiece, and provided With a recess havingcam-surfaces adapted to be engaged by the tailpiece to lift thelocking-piece out of the path of the tailpiece during the couplingoperation, a handle loosely connected to the locking-piece to raise thesame out of the path of the tailpiece, and a dog pivoted in rear of thelocking-piece and having a forwardly-projectin g upper end normallyresting against the locking-piece, and adapted to support the latterwhen the coupling is unlocked, and the shoulders f, j", on said dogarranged to engage with the projection G and maintain the dog in itsproper position, substantially as described.

7. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head provided with achamber, a knuckle pivoted therein, a tailpiece operating in saidchamber, a projection on said tailpiece, and an extension on thecoupling-head arranged to narrow the opening to the chamber,substantially as described.

8. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivotally supported therein and provided with a tailpiece, alocking-piece pivoted in the coupling-head in the path of the tailpieceand a dog eccentrically pivoted in the rear of the locking-piece, andadapted to fall a limited distance by gravity into position beneath thelocking-piece to support the same and be disengaged from thelocking-piece by the outward movement of the tailpiece When the couplingis being uncoupled, substantially as described.

9. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivoted therein and provided With a tailpiece, a locking-piece arrangedin the path of the tailpiece, a dog eccentrically pivoted in rear of thelocking-piece and adapted to fall by gravity into position beneath saidlockingpiece to support the same and a shoulder beneath the dog to limitits forward movement, substantially as described.

10. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivoted therein and provided With a tailpiece, a locking-piece arrangedin the path of the tailpiece, and adog eccentrically pivoted in rear ofthe lockingpiece, and provided With a forwardly-projecting upper endhaving a rounded cam-surface adapted to engage the under side of thelocking-piece to support the same, substantially as described.

11. In a car-coupling, the combination of a coupling-head, a knucklepivoted therein and provided with a tailpiece, a locking-piece ar- IOOIIO

ranged in the path of the tailpiece and proand a handle extending downthrough an vided With a narrow slot in its upper side, and opening inthe coupling-head and provided a handle extending down through the coup-With right-angled projections at its lower end ling-head and operatingloosely in said slot, adapted to be inserted in the slot through the 155 substantially as described. Wide end thereof and operate looselytherein,

l2. In a car-coupling, the combination of a substantially as described.coupling-head, a knuckle pivoted therein and provided With a tailpiece,a locking-piece ar- PI'IILLIP HllEN. ranged in the path of thetailpiece, and pro- Witnesses: I o vided With a narrow slot in its upperside hav- WM. O. BELT,

ing one end thereof Wider than the other end, M. E. SHIELDS.

